I collected baseball cards from the late '80s through 2002. Then I went to college and when I came out, I was lost. There were too many brands, sets, choices, relics, autos, parallels, variations. It was a turn off. However, I slowly made my way back.
So here is my attempt to venture back into the hobby. I'll buy a few packs of cards here and there, comment on some cards I have, send out some TTMs, and follow the progress of my Topps Yankees Project.

Tabs

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Bob Bleepin' Walk doesn't quite have the same ring to it as s Bucky Bleepin' Dent, does it? However, that didn't stop Matt of Bob Walk The Plank from sending me a few awesome cards in a recent trade...or maybe it was a swap...or maybe it was just a "here are some cards, send some back some time." The Dent was part of the swap, although it wasn't what started it. This was:

Nice! I thought at first I had this, but turns out I didn't have the diecut version. Ty Hensley doesn't have a ton of cards, so when a fellow collector finds one for me that I need, it's extra cool. It slotted into my growing Ty Hensley PC just perfectly.

The Dent came along with it. Matt is contemplating putting together this Donruss Signatures autograph set, which would be super cool. For what they are, I think they are exceptionally nice.

These gems filled out the rest of the package! Matt, it's always a pleasure trading with you.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Hello! Hope everyone had a great Christmas. Between my family's holiday celebrations, as well as my son's third birthday, it's been a whirlwind of a few days. I'm still recovering. We're not even home yet, actually.

In an attempt to clean out my scanned folder a little bit, here's a new Ty Hensley I picked up from 2013 Bowman Sterling's "The Duel" insert set. Sadly, a Red Sox player is on the card along with Hensley. Devin Marrero was a 2012 first rounder as well, and he's advanced to AAA already.

I had seen this card on eBay forever but never pulled the trigger until I could win this for under a buck shipped. It finally happened!

Monday, December 22, 2014

A few of my best-read blog posts over the past year were Q&A's. One was with a former blogger, Napkin Doon. One was with the king of vintage, and honorary blogger Mark Hoyle. The third was with Marci Hensley, the mother of my favorite Yankees prospect, Ty Hensley.Inspired by Better Know a Blogger Week over at Nachos Grande, I wanted to post one last Q&A this year. I reached out to Nick of The Cardboard Dugout - a blog that used to have some of the greatest box break videos known to man. Nick still collects, just doesn't blog as much, but I wanted a whole new generation of bloggers to see what an awesome dude Nick is.For those that don't, give him a follow on Twitter @YanksandBeans. You won't regret it. On to the Q&A!The Lost Collector (TLC): You have the best
alias ever. When did you first start using “Yanks and Beans”?

YanksandBeans (YB): Why thank you sir.
It’s strictly a Twitter thing. When I first signed up I went by my real name,
but I didn’t truly understand Twitter or what purpose I would use it for. When
I realized how conducive Twitter is to collecting cards, I refocused my subject
matter towards collecting. This epiphany warranted a new name change. So, I put
two of my favorite things together: The Yankees and farting and voila:
YanksandBeans.

TLC: How’s Regis? (for those who don't know, Regis the dog used to make many appearances in Nick's video box breaks)

YB: Regis Philbone is
great! He’s taken a bit of a back seat to my Daughter these days, but I always
make him rub his dirty little paws on my boxes before I break. Little furball
doesn’t have much Mojo, but I can’t break tradition right?TLC: Your box breaks were
must see TV (errr, videos). Any planned for the future?YB: The truth is, my
collecting habits have drastically changed over the last few years. When I
started collecting again in 08’ I bought at least one box of EVERY baseball
product that came out and I’d break the majority of them on video. This went on
for about 3 years. Prior to vid breaking
I watched a ton online and they were all missing the same thing…..Personality.
So I did my best to make all the breaks fun no matter what the box produced. My
goal was to have my viewers remember the break itself as opposed to the “Hits”
I pulled. Long story short, I had a kid,
and time and money ran out quick. I am much more selective about what I buy
now, I mostly spend my box break money on Singles so I’m guaranteed to get
something I’m interested in. This has significantly helped my collection, but
it’s the video breaks that have suffered. However this interview has me feeling
nostalgic. Maybe I’ll bust and tape for old times’ sake!

TLC: Tell us a little more
about your collection as it stands today. What are you focusing on?YB: When I first started
collecting again I was a hoarder, My collection went from 1 single 500ct box
with all of my cards from when I was a kid in the 80’s, to over 40 500ct boxes
just from breaking anything/everything I could get my hands on. It was a great
way to get my collection to a respectable place but it was just too much. I was
set building, player collecting like 5 guys, team sets, insert sets…It was
crazy. Then one night I had a good twitter conversation with my friend Eric
(@ThoseBackPages). We talked about how he collects for him an him alone. He is
so focused on his collection that it inspired me to tighten up. So at this
point my main focuses are anything and everything Thurman Munson, Mariano
Rivera, Rickey Henderson (PSA 9’s) as well as just singles I like, mostly Game
used and Autos of Yanks and Hall Of Famers. And of course there are my TTM
successes which are easily the most gratifying aspect of collecting for me.
Over the past year my collection has really stepped up in quality over
quantity.TLC: What is your most
prized card or collectible? YB: This is an easy one. I
mess around with Group breaks once in a while and I had a Thurman Munson cut
auto from 2013 Triple Threads pulled for me. His autos are rarer than Ruth’s,
it’s a dream card. I’ve had many offers on it, but it’s not going anywhere anytime
soon. However, there’s a small disconnect there because it didn’t pull it
myself. That honor would go to a
vertical mini booklet card with game used pieces from Mantle and Ruth pulled
from a box of 2010 T-206. I got my box a few days early and didn’t even know
these mini books existed. The card literally fell out of the pack into my lap.
You can see both of these and some of my other faves currently on display in my
Fortress of Collectitude in the attached scan.

TLC: What was your favorite
card release of 2014? How about all-time?

YB: 2014 will be known as
the year my box breaking came to a screeching halt. I don’t even think I broke
a box of Topps Flagship this year. I think Tier One had some really impressive
things going on this year, more so than in the past. I always love Tribute and Archives. But my
pick of the year goes to Topps High Tek. I missed out on the Tek craze of the
late 90’s and I find its resurgence refreshing. I love the Acetate, plus it
fills almost every type of collectors need, great for player collectors, great
for set builders, ON-card auto’s and most importantly…Serial #’s ON THE BACK of
cards. I could do a whole entire tirade on this subject alone. As for all time,
that’s tough. I love all the 1986 cards from the big 3, just holding that old
cardboard brings me back to the purest time in my life. I also have a sweet
spot for Tribute simply because I’ve always had luck with it. But gun to my
head, have to choose one……It’s got to be Topps Allen and Ginter. The Cardstock
is perfect, the subject matter is even better. I love the inserts, minis, rip
cards, framed autos, On-card autos, The Ginter code... I mean this set doesn’t
stop producing. Opening a box is like going to the circus, you don’t know
what’s going to come next. TLC: You love to do A&G
TTMs of the non-baseball players. Give me 5 people you’d love to see on a
future A&G set?YB: I do love my A&G
TTM’s, they’re probably one of the proudest pieces of my overall collection.
I’ve even started showing them off recently. I’ve devoted an Instagram account
entirely to TTM successes (Account name: SignMyCard). This is a great question. I have reached out
personally to Topps on Twitter regarding items that should be in A&G, I
feel that myself and Chris Olds are personally responsible for the Wrigley
Field relics in last year’s Ginter release (I probably had nothing to do with
it, but it helps me sleep at night). So as for my top 5, I’d like to see Lorne
Michaels, The Mythbuster guys, Howard Stern, Billy Beane, and Keanu Reeves and
Alex winter Dual auto from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I also love what
Topps did this past year with the inclusion of “Major League” guys peppered
throughout their products. I think we need the same thing with “A League of
their own”. It kills me that you can’t get a Jimmy Dugan card anywhere! But
I’ll get over it, there’s no crying in Baseball Cards.TLC: Any message for the “blogosphere”?YB: I’ve collected every
way possible. I’ve bought products with the intent to flip. I’ve built sets in
hopes they’d be worth something in the future. I’ve blogged about cards, made
videos about cards, traded cards, sold cards, I’ve even dreamed of opening my
own shop. It was only when I narrowed down my focus to cards that would mean
something personal to me that collecting took on a whole new life. I realized I
don’t NEED to complete every Topps insert set, I don’t NEED to own every
Mariano Rivera color variation from Topps Chrome. Once I became comfortable
with this thought it was so freeing. This is what works for me; it may not work
for everyone. The bottom line is, collect in a way that makes you feel excited
and fulfilled, if you feel anything else, it’s no longer a hobby. If you’ve
never felt that feeling I’m talking about, the solution is simple. Save up
about $70 and buy a box of 1989 Upper Deck. If you’re lucky enough to see Ken
Griffey Jr looking back at you then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Oh and when are we getting cards made up of Bloggers?….I’d be first in line for
that set.

Nick, thanks so much for answering these questions. The hobby needs more dudes like you. Guys - go follow Nick and prepare to be entertained!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

One of my favorite scenes in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is when Kevin dupes the reservations department at The Plaza Hotel. He uses his TalkBoy to disguise his voice, and when the customer service woman asks for method of payment, Kevin responds with, "Credit card? you got it!"

It's ridiculous, but it's funny. I always laugh.

Anytime I get a 1995 Studio "credit card", I always think to myself "Credit card? You got it!" I will always be amused by this set. It's just so different and so cool, especially from anything else up to that point.I remember being enamored by this set the first time I saw it. In fact, the Tino from '95 Studeio is one of my favorite Tinos, even though it's just a regular old base card (and he's a Mariner on it!) that can be had at any time for $.18 on SportLots.

I saw this Boggs gold insert pop up on eBay for $.30, and I gladly placed a bid and won it. It's too fun not to own, and maybe, just maybe, will kick me a kick in the pants to chase down this whole set. That would be fun. I just hope I have enough of my credit card balance.

Ryan of Ryan's Pitch has become a good friend of mine. We send each other PWEs a few times per year, and we chat baseball and cards on Twitter.

Ryan always includes a really thoughtful, hand-written note when he sends cards. His handwriting is so spectacular that he could honestly not even send cards, and I'd still be happy I got mail from him. Trust me, it's that good. He must've gotten an "A" on every test/essay in college in those little blue essay books, because his beautiful script would make any answer look correct.

However, because he is the man, he also sent me two sweet cards!

I thought I had this Tino when I first saw it, but then I flipped it over and saw that it was a promo card for Topps Gallery Auctions. Does anyone remember these? I sure as heck don't. I love oddballs like this.

Ryan also sent a great Andy Pettitte minor league card. I have no idea what Pettitte is doing here. Pitch chart? Scouting report? Line up card? Lunch order?

Saturday, December 13, 2014

There are a lot of PWE professionals out there. I'm not sure who sends the best ones, but if there was a competition, Mark Hoyle would be tough to beat. His PWEs are always very thoughtful, and more often than not, contain some great vintage.

Case in point:

I'm nearly certain that is the last Munson Topps card I needed. I have to go check to be sure, but I think that is the case. I love it. Just a great card from a great set.

Oh, and there was more!

I mean, that is a lot of '72s. I need to know complete this team set. And I will.

Friday, December 12, 2014

A few weeks back, I got a larger-than-usual envelope from P-Town Tom. I opened it up and found this amazing gem:

A Yankees Magazine from February, 1996 featuring Tino! This was an issue right after he was traded to the Yankees. It's funny, when the Yanks got Tino, Mattingly wasn't retired yet, although everyone knew it was a matter of time. I forgot that, but remembered once I read about the trade in the magazine.

Anyhow, Tom found this at a card show and was kind enough to think of me. I love it that so many people think of me when they come across a Tino card or item. Means a lot.

I read this magazine from start to finish. It was a lot better product then than it is now. I loved the minor league updates, and there was even a section called "Card Corner." Alliteration!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

I still search Listia once in awhile. I'm not on there alot, but every so often I'll log on via my phone app and do a quick search, mostly for my PC guys.

If Tino shows up, usually it's for a 1990 Upper Deck or some other card I have a bunch of. However, this beauty showed up as part of a two card lot, and I had to pounce:

That's a 1998 Pinnacle Yard Work insert. Not sure how this one escaped me growing up, as I feel like I hoarded Tino inserts back then. He was fresh off of his 44-HR season, so it was really special to see my favorite player popping up in insert sets.

The second card of this lot is one I had, but it's still nice - a serially numbered (to 1750) 1998 Upper Deck SPx card. Not a bad dupe to add.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Zippy Zappy over at Torren Up Cards scared me last week. The
Zapster is one of the most generous guys out there, and I was worried we lost
another one. Luckily, he was just messing around, and was referring to his
string of consecutive weeks with a TTM return coming to end. But lo and behold, he got back in the W column this past week.

Well, I don’t want to contribute to him shutting down his
blog (he’s not!), so just to be safe, here are some cards he sent me AGES ago
that have been sitting in my scanned folder. I am really bad at posting mega
packages, so to guys like Zippy Zappy and JBF, my apologies. They just kind of daunt me even though I LOVE receiving them.

First, Kenny always sends me some cool SI Yankees stuff – whether
it’s newspapers or pocket schedules – and this magnetic schedule is awesome. I
envy Kenny for his dedication to the SI Yanks. I would love to frequent their
games, but just can’t with my little rug rats, plus they play a lot of day
games.

Here’s a Bowman RC auto of Eric Jagielo, one of the Yanks
first round picks in 2013. I sent Kenny a Jagielo he didn’t have, and he
returns the favor with an auto. Hardly seems fair.

Sean Henn! This guy must’ve autographed thousands of cards
for card companies. I feel like I have more Henn autos than any player out
there.

Here’s an auto of 2015 Yankees starting shortstop Brendan
Ryan.

Shiny Dellin! Oh nelly these are nice cards of the 2105
Yankees closer.

I say “2015 Yankees closer” because this guy may be ready to
walk. I don’t blame the Yanks. I do want Robertson back, and quite badly, but
if he’s commanding the deal he’s looking for, I’d say let him go. It’s not a
loyalty thing, I really like him and he’s homegrown and has been great over the
past four or five season. It’s just that those resources can be better spent
elsewhere. Is Betances ready for the 9th? I’m not sure. It’s not
quite fair to use the Rivera/Wetteland example, but I’m also not going to freak
out if the Yanks go into spring training with Betances or Andrew Miller as the closer. Could be
a lot worse. Also, the card design on this D-Rob looks like one of those ugly
graphic tee’s the players wear.

Two Rizzutos I needed!

And two Pinedas I needed!

Tyler Wade. Remember the name.

And last but not least, a Tino that wouldn’t scan well
because it’s just that shiny!

Friday, December 5, 2014

I haven't sent many TTMs since summer, so I'm always surprised when a a SASE returns home.

In this instance, this was sent back in February during spring training, so this guy got to his mail in the off-season:

Boom! Sweet 2014 Topps auto of Yankees catcher John Ryan "don't call me JR" Murphy. With Francisco Cervelli in Pittsbugh, the Yankees backup catcher role is Murphy's for the taking. Austin Romine may give him a run, but Murphy is the guy with more upside.

Many think this guy is MLB-ready as of right now. He hit .284 in 81 ABs last season in limited time with the Big League club. Plus, he's only 23. I would love to see him go out and win the backup C role in ST, and eventually earn a bit more playing time, especially if Brian McCann keeps trending in the wrong direction.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Jacob Lindgren was the Yanks first draft pick last year (second round), and was said to be on the fast track to the Majors as a reliever. Many actually predicted him to be the first 2014 draftee to make it to MLB, although that didn't happen. It wasn't Lindgren's fault -- he pitched wonderfully.

I loved this pick for the Yanks. Instead of rolling the dice on a second rounder who might be years away, they took a reliever that is near MLB-ready. Having three first round picks in 2013 really afforded them the opportunity to overlook some of the more "high upside" guys usually taken in the first 100 picks.

I fully expect him to come to spring training with a chance to win a job in the Yanks pen. You can never have enough shutdown lefties, and I have a sneaky feeling he's going to be a very good one for years to come.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

So, I purchased this card thinking it was a full-sized card, and then it showed up as a mini. It was just a classic case of me not paying attention to the item description (which clearly stated "MINI") and what actually exists. It's #'d to 25, so that's a nice little bonus.

Regardless, I needed it and I like it. I'm not positive where I stand on Topps minis as a whole. I suppose they are slightly less desirable because they aren't available to the masses, but I still enjoy the Yankees minis. This card, and ones like it, certainly have a place in my collection.

Friday, November 21, 2014

Recently, Jared from Catching Up With Collecting reached out. He wanted to get rid of a few Yanks, and you know I'm always game for that. He collects Red Sox, so I'm happy to have another Boston fan to ship my unwanted Sox cards to.

Jared's package was cool because it had a lot of cards/brands that you don't see in typical trade packages. It was a lot of fun to sort through.

And a Ted Williams minor league Jeter. No joke, I almost bought this card the other day, and to have it show up in a trade package was fate. It's easily one of my favorite Jeter cards ever. There's so much to love about it...the uniform, the stance, young Jeter in the background. So money.

Jared, thanks for the trade! I'll get your cards out to you shortly (if I haven't already).